Secrets and Valentines
by Lucky Kutsick
Summary: Several members of the team receive valentines from secret admirers. But something isn't quite right. A cheesy Valentine's Day story that focuses on the team in general. Again... Cheesy sappiness...


_Bonjour… So, if you've read my works before, you've most likely met my fellow writing group member, Mike. Well, I'm introducing another: Jessica. She's the president of the group, and she's the one who picks the prompt for the month. And when February rolled around she had a cliché prompt. Yup, you guess it: Valentine's Day. Kill me now. So you can blame my lack of enthusiasm for this story on her! _

_Anyways, sorry it's up way after the actually holiday, but my muse has been kidnapped. I have absolutely no inspiration in my writing lately. For those waiting for an update in "Escort": I *promise* I'm trying to work on it. It will be updated eventually._

_Disclaimer: I own no part of NCIS, including any characters mentioned in the following story. _

_Well, here it is, my sappy, cliché Valentines story. Enjoy… maybe… _

x.x.x.x.x

Tony stared at his computer, deep in depression. The girl he had made a date with for tonight had cancelled two days before. So now he was single. And dateless. On Valentine's Day. He swore the fates were out to get him. He let out a groan and slammed his head down on his desk. Looks like I'm spending another Valentine's Day at the bar, he thought grumpily.

"Rough day, Tony?" his partner asked.

He lifted his head up to glare across the desk at Ziva. Her desk, like almost all the desks of the female workers, was covered with glittering hearts, soft roses, and rich chocolates. "Tonight is the night of love, the most passionate night of the year!" Tony moaned. "Tonight is the night when I really get to show off my romanticizing skills, but no! My date, who I set this up with two weeks ago, decides to cancel because her ex-boyfriend asked her out."

Ziva shrugged. "Why do you not just go find another lady to share your "special evening" with?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Because, Zi-va, girls on Valentine's Day are the hardest to woo!"

"Really," Ziva asked, her eyes on her desk, clearly not interested on what he had to say.

"Yes. Most girls will already have a date and that cuts down the open market. Then, the rest of the girls are broken up into two groups. First, then ones who go out in a group: they will hang out with a group of either all females or a mixed group. They are incredibly hard to separate from the pack, and there is no way to snag one if they don't leave their group!"

"Congratulations, Tony," Ziva said dryly. "You have successfully compared a group of women to a herd of animals."

"The second group," Tony ignored her, "consists of the ones who are single and proud of it! Inside they may be desperately wishing for a date, but on this night they seem to *want* to stay single out of spite for the holiday!" He glared grumpily at the roses on his partner's desk. "Besides, any girl willing to go on a date tonight will have extremely high expectations. I have to have at least a *little* bit of planning to meet those standards."

"Well, if you really are that desperate," Ziva sighed, "there appears to be a valentine in your inbox. Perhaps someone else has asked you to dinner?"

Tony's face instantly brightened. "Really!" he cried. Within a second he was rifling through the papers on his desk in search of said note. After a minute he finally found a standard sized envelope. He frowned. "This is NCIS stationary. It's from inside the office?"

"Perhaps you have been noticed by one of our fellow agents," Ziva said slowly, still going over the file in front of her.

"Hmm," Tony murmured. "Rule 12…"

Ziva furrowed her brow. "Never date a co-worker?" Then she understood. "If she does work here, Gibbs will be mad if he finds out."

"Well then," Tony said slyly, "I'll just have to make sure Gibbs doesn't find out."

"Gibbs not finding out is as likely as him learning to text," Ziva remarked dryly.

Tony frowned, but then shrugged it off. "Oh well, it's just for one night." He chuckled to himself. "Yes, I have a date. I'm golden!"

Ziva looked him up and down. "I would say you are more tan than gold."

Tony gave her a confused look before shaking his head. "Whatever. The important thing is that I'm not going to be alone tonight!"

Ziva merely shook her head and went back to work.

.-.-.

"I mean, I think I should go, but I'm not sure, because I ran every test I could think of and I didn't get any results! I mean, like, none! The envelope is just a standard one that can be found at any office supply store: same goes for the card. No fingerprints, no skin samples, no pieces hair, no chemical traces: nadda, zip, nothing!" Abby said as she typed furiously at the computer. "So, one, I don't know if I should go because what kind of person goes through that much trouble to hide evidence but on the other hand I kinda want to meet this person because I'm impressed that they left nothing traceable. Giiiiibs!" She moaned. "What should I do?"

Gibbs regarded the scientist calmly. "I don't know," he replied. "It's your secret admirer."

"But Gibbs!" Abby whined. "What if it's not a simple admirer? What if it's another stalker?"

Gibbs leaned forwards; he placed the heart covered Caw-Pow cup beside her hand as he gently kissed her temple. "Take your tazer," he whispered against her hair.

Abby grinned. "Ok. The restaurant is a really nice one, one you have to make reservations at like, weeks before, so at least it's not too sketchy." With a resolute nod she said, "Right then. I'll go! Thanks Gibbs!" Her happiness now restored, she turned a quizzical eye to the silver haired agent. "So, El Jefe, what are your plans for the holiday of love?" she asked, wagging her eyebrows suggestively.

Gibbs rolled his eyes and pulled an envelope from inside his jacket. "You're not the only one with a secret admirer."

He winced as a squeal pierced his ears. "Awww! Has Gibbs sexiness caught someone's eye?" she asked cheekily as she pulled the card out of the envelope.

"Hope they weren't too intent on getting me to go," Gibbs merely said as he sipped his coffee. Then he noticed the frown on Abby's face. "What?" he asked. Without replying, Abby spun on her heel and stormed into her office. "Abs?" Gibbs called out, confused.

Abby rushed back in, brandishing a second card identical to the one Gibbs had received. "Okay, I know that your hair is one of the hottest things ever," she told him, causing the agent to raise an eyebrow at her, "but you are so not my type!"

"Abs?" he said again, knowing she would answer his unspoken questions.

"Someone was trying to set us up!" Abby exclaimed, thrusting both cards into Gibbs' hands. "Look! This is the card I got, and this is yours! They're exactly the same! Including the time and place we're supposed to meet! Someone gave this to us to get us to go out together! And seriously, I love you Gibbs, but not like that! I mean you're old enough to be my dad." Gibbs gave her a look. With a smile she reached up and kissed his cheek. "Sorry, but it's true!" Her face fell again. "Well, I guess I'm spending my Valentine's Day at home," she said dejectedly.

Gibbs gave her a questioning look, and she sighed. "Well," she answered, "you already said you hoped the card sender wasn't to intent on you going, meaning you weren't going to go to dinner, so that means I'd be eating dinner alone, and I really don't want to go out alone on Valentine's day. I mean, how depressing is that?"

With a sigh of his own, Gibbs gave Abby a hug. "Abby?"

"Yes, Gibbs?"

"Would you like to go to dinner tonight?"

Abby's eyes lit up as she looked up at him. "You mean, you want to go?"

Gibbs shrugged. "The cards say all we have to do is show the invites at the door. It would be a shame to waste a reservation at such a nice restaurant."

The Goth spun in Gibbs' arms to give him a proper hug. "Oh! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she squealed. "Maybe this night won't be so bad after all!"

.-.-.

Tonight wouldn't be so bad, Tim told himself. He'd go home, finish reading his book, and perhaps do some typing. He could curl up in the semi lit apartment, drink a bottle of wine he'd been saving, and enjoy his jazz collection. It would be a nice, relaxing night… alone.

He sighed and knocked his head gently on the roof of his car. Who was he kidding? Yet another Valentine's Day spent alone, but not for a lack of trying. He had looked and tried to date, but he just couldn't find anyone to be with. With a heavy heart he unlocked his car and went to climb in.

"Timothy!" a voice called out behind him. Tim turned, halfway in the seat, to see Ducky rushing towards him. "There you are," the elderly Scotsman huffed. "I was afraid I had missed you already."

"What can I do for you Ducky?" Tim asked, genuinely curious.

"Here," the ME said, handing a small envelope to Tim. "I believe that some of your mail got mixed in with mine. I'm afraid I opened it already, but this letter seemed to be something you should see tonight."

Tim's brow furrowed in confusion, but he took the card none-the-less. He flipped it open and read the message inside, his eyebrows shooting up as he read. "A… A secret admirer?" he said softly.

Ducky grinned. "Apparently, you've caught a certain someone's eye. I remember you telling me you did not have plans for the evening, so I assumed that this might brighten your evening."

Tim sighed and handed the card back to Ducky. "Thanks, but no thanks. The last time I had a secret admirer it turned out to be nothing more than Tony messing with me. I think I'd prefer my wine and jazz to Tony humiliating me again."

"Timothy," Ducky sighed. "This letter was with my mail. I highly doubt that if Anthony were trying to play a trick on you he would make the mistake of walking all the way down to autopsy when he could just slide the letter onto your desk." He took Timothy's hand and pushed the letter into it. "Take a chance. Perhaps there truly is a girl waiting for you. If you leave her standing, you might break her heart. Besides, many wonderful things could come from tonight."

Tim frowned, his full bottom lip pouting out. "But what if it is just Tony?"

Ducky smiled kindly. "Then I shall help you enact your revenge on him."

Lifting the card up in front of his face, Tim glared at the white and red paper dubiously. Then he sighed heavily. "Alright, I've got nothing to lose, except an otherwise lonely night and my pride."

Ducky shook his head and gave an exasperated grin. "That's the spirit."

.-.-.

Tony checked his hair in his review mirror. "Yeah," he said happily, "I still got it!" He got out of his car and locked the door. With a bit of a bounce in his step he set out to the restaurant at a brisk pace. He smiled to himself as he approached the door of the restaurant, tugging his sports jacket into place. It was one of the more expensive Italian establishments in town, so he knew his date certainly had good taste. He bypassed the line at the door, knowing his date had already secured a reservation. He smiled, somewhat smugly, as he stepped up to the hostess.

"May I help you sir?" she asked, looking at him with a certain level of distain.

Tony merely nodded at the look. "Why yes!" he said smoothly, pulling out his invitation. "I was told to show this upon my arrival."

The woman took the card and nodded, a new level of understanding reaching her eyes. "Very well, sir," she said with a slightly impressed tone to her voice. "You have a reservation in one of the private rooms. If you would follow me, please."

Tony's smile grew wider. "A private room, huh?" he said gleefully. "She must *really* like me!"

He let the hostess guide him through the crowed room to a door off to the side. "Here we are, sir," the woman said, motioning Tony inside. "A waiter we be with you shortly," she told him. With a short nod, she left, closing the door behind her.

"Wait!" Tony called too late. He had just noticed the table, and while there were no place settings, there were six chairs. "Ok," he mumbled to himself, taking a seat. Maybe this was the last private room they had, he mused to himself. A few minutes later a waiter came and asked Tony what he would like to drink. Tony ordered a simple glass of wine, and when it came he sipped it impatiently. He swirled the dark red liquid around the glass, wondering when his date was going to show.

His spirits rose as the door opened once again. "Here we are, sir," the hostess's voice rang out again. Tony froze as he got out of his chair. Wait… sir?

"Thank you," a familiar voice said as the door shut once again.

"Hang on," Tony said. "Tim?"

The new arrival froze, his suit jacket slipping from his grasp. "T-Tony?" Tim asked, his voice shooting up. "What… What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for my date," the older man replied indignantly.

"I knew it was a joke," Tim muttered under his breath. "Real nice, Tony," he growled a bit more loudly so his partner could here. "I never expected you would pay so much money for a joke. Really funny." He bent to pick up his jacket, slipping it back onto his shoulders. "Before you humiliate me further, I'm going home."

"Wait a minute!" Tony cried. "You think I set this up?" Tim fixed him with a hard gaze. Tony backed down slightly. "Ok," he mumbled, "I know I've the obvious suspect, but seriously, I didn't do this!"

"'Wolf', cried the boy," Tim said sarcastically.

"Oh come on!" Tony moaned. "I'm the victim just as much as you are! I mean, I got this invite, and I show up expecting a sophisticated woman and what do I get? A Probie!"

Tim frowned, his bottom lip pouting out. "Wait… You mean, you were invited here?"

Tony nodded and showed Tim his card. "Yup, McCaptain Obvious! Someone actually tried to prank me! Me! Can you believe it?"

Before the argument could go any further, the door opened again. The two men turned to stare as in stepped Abby and Gibbs.

"Boss?" Tony choked out, noting Gibbs suit and the rose tucked into his button hole.

"Abby?" Tim cried out at the same time, staring at her short black dress and the rose pinned in her hair.

"What are you two doing here?" Abby asked, surprise dripping from her words. Gibbs said nothing, merely fixing his two agents with a look that demanded answers.

"Uh… Boss… you see…" Tim muttered, stumbling over his words.

"We've been had!" Tony said gritting his teeth at the thought someone had gotten the better of him.

"So, you didn't know who you were meeting either?" Abby asked. When the two agents shook their heads, Abby shrugged. "Oh well. Like Gibbs said earlier, no reason to waste such a hard to come by reservation." She hung her shawl over the back of a chair and sat down, motioning for the men to join her.

Tony shrugged and sat in his first spot, across the table from Abby "Can't argue with that logic." Gibbs chuckled and took up a position at one head of the table, next to Abby.

Tim, looking hesitant, took a seat beside Abby. "Can *anyone* argue with Abby Logic?"

Abby shrugged. "People try: court systems, criminals, lawyers." She scowled. "I hate lawyers." The other three people in the room laughed.

"Ah, good," another familiar voice called out. "I see everyone is already here." Those at the table turned to see Ducky framed in the doorway, with Ziva, dressed in a silky, floor-length red dress, on his arm.

"You too?" Tim asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Well, now all we need is the Gremlin and Vance and we'll have the collection," Tony remarked as Ziva took the chair beside him, leaving Ducky with the end chair.

"The Director would most likely prefer to spend the night with his wife," Ziva replied.

"Yes," Ducky confirmed, "and I believe young Mr. Palmer was taking tomorrow off so he could take Breena to a Bed and Breakfast down in Virginia."

"What's going on here Ducky?" Gibbs asked with a certain amount of amusement in his voice.

"Ah!" he sighed. "You will have to ask Miss David that question," he said with a wink. "But first, I think this young man here has come to offer us drinks," he said as he motioned to the waiter who had just entered the room. The waiter took their orders, quickly returning with their various drinks.

"Alright, Zi," Tony said once the waiter had left them alone once again, "let's have it."

"Have what?" Ziva replied cheekily as she sipped her wine.

"Don't give me that!" Tony scowled. "You know what's going on here, now spill!"

"Spill what, Tony?" she asked. "I don't understand what you are asking."

"Ziva," was all Gibbs had to say.

The Israeli woman smiled softly as she set down her glass. "I apologize for the secrecy, but it was the only way I could think of that would be considered without out right rejection."

"Why do you say that?" Tim asked, genuinely curious.

"I know in yours and Tony's cases you would deny the perceived accusation that you were dateless on Valentine's Day, so I had to think of a way that would not hurt your pride." Both men looked sheepishly at each other, neither denying what she said. "For Abby, I had to find a way to entice her. A mystery invite was something I knew she could not turn down."

"You were right!" Abby said, bouncing in her seat slightly. "I just had to find out who set this all up, but without any concrete forensic evidence, I had to accept! Kudos, by the way, on hiding the evidence."

Ziva merely nodded at the compliment. "And Gibbs?" Tony asked, eyebrow raised.

"I did not want him to feel left out," she said, a twinkle in her eyes. "In any case, I believe he was aware of what was going on."

"Of course he did" Tim scoffed. "He's Gibbs."

"Just as I know that Tony just about broke Rule 12?" he said as he eyed his oldest agent.

Tony's face fell as he realized he'd been caught. "Ha-ha… well, you know," he muttered, "Rule 12 does say "dating" and this was only going to be one date…" he trailed off at the look in Gibbs eyes. "I should've known. You know everything."

Gibbs chuckled. "And Ducky was in on it the whole time," he remarked, giving his old friend a look.

The Scotsman chuckled. "Of course I was," he said happily. "When Ziva proposed her idea, I thought it was a wonderful sentiment, and was delighted to help."

"And, what exactly was that sentiment?" Tony asked, eyeing Ziva.

"This holiday is supposed to be about love, correct?"

"Yes, but this isn't exactly-" Tim started, but trailed off with a wheeze as Abby elbowed him in the ribs.

"So," Ziva continued, with a thankful look at Abby, "what better way to spend the day of love than to spend it with those you love and value above all others?"

A silence was met with her words. Each member of the team was lost in his or her own thoughts: thoughts of what Ziva's words meant to them. Tim was smiling gently down at his lap, a blush on his cheeks. Abby was openly beaming at Ziva. Tony stared at his glass, letting Ziva's words sink deep. Ducky glanced around the table, smiling at each person in turn. Gibbs lips barely turned up at the corners, but his eyes sparkled in the soft light. Catching the look in his eyes, Ziva smiled shyly.

Finally, Tim broke the silence. "Thanks, Ziva," he said softly. "This was a great idea."

"Yeah!" Abby agreed, speaking a bit more loudly. "This is turning out to be the best Valentine's Day ever!"

Eventually, Tony looked up and smiled. "Alright. I guess a bit of family sappiness is okay, for tonight at least."

Ducky chuckled. "Well, I do believe a toast is in order." He cleared his throat and lifted his glass. "To one of the strongest bonds of love: the love between family." As the six glass chinked together, everyone in the room smiled at the same thought: yes, they loved this family.

x.x.x.x.x

_Cheesy story is cheesy. _

_Anyways, thanks for reading. Please review. Please? _


End file.
